It was a privilege to host Eurogroup President, Irish Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery & Reform, and former Irish Finance Minister, Paschal Donohoe at Guildhall and Mansion House for an important talk in London on liberalism and the capital markets union.
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“Helping Businesses Connect To Prosper” – London Business Matters, London Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Regular readers know that I try to avoid having more than one post a day, but this was special, the very first Lord Mayor of London ringing the 5 minute bell at Lords Cricket Ground to reopen England versus Sri Lanka. Chris Hayward in shot, but masterminded so kindly by Mark Berman.
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A highlight of the mayoral year arrived at Mansion House today, the 695th Lord Mayor’s Whisky (or whiskey to us Irish). With the immense help and support of the magnificent Braeburn Whisky (Scottish) team, we have a very very limited edition for charity fundraising purposes.
And doesn’t it look spectacular:
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One objective this year has been to build up pan-livery connections. A special project has been led by Paul Finch and other members of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, with a core team of Alex Marcuson, Craig Penfold, David Worsfold, and Richard Burge. Paul and the team have worked hard to get the nearly 50,000 people involved in the City’s livery community (27,000 registered liverymen, plus freemen, plus apprentices, plus clerks and others) to connect with each other. We’re getting close to the first year’s target of 2,000 members.
UPDATE – the team reached 2,000 members on 18 October, a few weeks ahead of schedule. Congratulations!
… and for those interested in joining a livery company or ward club.
I was delighted to see this report come out from London Higher. The report highlights the critical role of London’s higher education sector in bolstering the UK’s soft power and global influence. As global change and instability persist, London’s ability to forge international networks, attract resources, and exert influence remains the key to the UK’s global success.
The report, which features two maps illustrating the soft power of London university alumni across the UK and the world, underscores the significance of London’s universities in maintaining and enhancing this influence.
This is very much in line with my repeated point about the strength of the City of London being its role as a global, intellectual, powerhouse:
As I state in the Foreword:
Beyond Borders: Exploring The Soft Power Of London’s Universities
As a truly global city, London stands at the forefront of the UK’s ability to wield influence and exert soft power on the world stage. The capital’s world-class universities play a vital role in cultivating and projecting this soft power abroad.
London’s higher education institutions attract the brightest minds from around the world, foster critical research collaborations that tackle global challenges, and produce graduates who go on to become leaders and innovators across multiple sectors and industries internationally. The phenomenal academic excellence, cutting-edge research, and diverse cultural vibrancy of London create an unparalleled engine for generating new knowledge, artistic expression, entrepreneurial thinking and technological breakthroughs.
This concentration of intellectual capital cements London’s position as a global hub with influential soft power. The universities in London propagate values of openness, creativity, democracy and free speech around the world through their teaching, research endeavours and networks of international alumni. In this interconnected world, soft power assets like London’s higher education sector are invaluable for promoting stability, cross-cultural understanding and cooperation to address shared global issues.
This is why it has been my priority as 695th Lord Mayor of the City of London to bring together thought leaders from the scientific, academic, and business worlds to demonstrate the City’s strengths in solving global challenges through my ‘Connect to Prosper’ approach.
This report aligns with this mission and comprehensively demonstrates how the global impact and esteem of London’s universities contribute tremendously to the economic and societal benefit of the UK as a whole. It is therefore of paramount importance that policymakers across the board appreciate the full value of Brand London in higher education, and take every measure to protect, sustain and nurture the international pre-eminence of the capital’s academic institutions. Doing so will ensure the UK’s enduring status as a trusted partner and influential voice internationally for generations to come.
Professor Michael Mainelli
Lord Mayor of the City of London, 2023-24